Lone Wolves, No-Names, and Second Chancers (no longer updating)
by PancakeOverdose
Summary: Captain America has assembled a sprawling new lineup of heroes to restart the Avengers in the aftermath of the Skrull's secret invasion of Earth. Many of his teammates are plagued by doubts, which will only be further tested as the mysterious emergence of a union of villains threatens the world. Keeping on here just for those interested.
1. Prologue

**Lone Wolves, No-Names, and Second Chancers**

 **Prologue:** Avengers Material

 _Stark Tower, one month ago…_

With a purposeful stride and a steady forward stare, Steve made his way up the hall to the office. The elevator ride to reach the top floor gave him more than enough time to determine just what he'd say. Halfway up the hall, the office door swung open and a suit-clad man stormed his way, his head down as he muttered to himself. As the man strode uncaringly past, Steve recognised he was speaking Russian, though he was too quiet and disappeared too quickly for him to translate anything other than 'bastard'. Steve straightened his jacket as he reached Tony's open door, unsure what to expect when he looked into the office. He was somewhat relieved to see Tony seated on the edge of his desk, which shone under the morning sunrays that came through his clear windows to fill the vast office. With one foot on his chair as he looked out over New York, Tony rested his hand on the desk's surface, said hand clad in a red gauntlet from his then-current armour. Beyond the wall of glass high above the city, towering cranes worked with dot-like labourers on reconstruction efforts.

"Tony?" Steve said from the doorframe. Tony spun around on his spot with a look of indifference. Steve knew Tony well enough to recognise that he was merely hiding his slight joy at seeing him again after so long. "Your receptionist downstairs told me you were in a meeting, but she said to head up anyway. I hope I'm not interrupting." Tony shrugged as Steve entered.

"Wouldn't have been a hassle if you did, anyway. I knew I'd be finished with Mr Vanko by the time you made it up."

"How so?"

"Security cams in the lobby picked up the gun in his jacket. And as he's just learnt, you don't bring a gun to a high-powered-electromechanical-exoskeleton fight." Steve lifted his chin at Tony's fast-spoken, casual response.

"Right." Tony motioned to the chair beside Steve, still leaning lazily on his upsettingly expensive desk.

"Have a seat." Steve nodded as he obliged, having waited on the order. "What can I do for you?" Steve seated himself properly before answering.

"I've been talking with Clint. We've made the call. We're reassembling the Avengers." Tony slid off the desk onto his feet before dropping into his chair.

"Ah. Of course. I remember old Hawkeye was arguing for us to reassemble before we even broke up."

"I'm not certain who I'll be able to get a hold of again or if we'll need another recruitment drive, but either way, we're going to need a headquarters."

"Mansion's never been closed to any of you. As long as you have your ID cards, you've got access. Same for the Quinjets and everything else there, too." Steve tilted his head.

"Really?"

"What, you didn't try it?"

"I…didn't want to trespass on your property."

"I would've tried it."

"Well…glad that's solved."

"That all you came for?"

"There's one other thing. Sam and Carol are onboard already, we're yet to hear back from Thor and T'Challa, and Clint's talking to Jen right now, but…Since I'm here, I thought I'd ask if you were interested in returning to the team." Tony sighed as he flexed his armoured hand, loosening its parts and letting him pull it off like a regular glove.

"You know why I can't, Steve."

"I know why you _won't_." Tony frowned.

"Forgive me for having trust issues in the aftermath of a secret invasion conducted by a race of shape-shifting aliens over the last few years that just revealed itself and resulted in planetary warfare. I know it's a real common problem, should have gotten over it by now."

"That's not what I meant."

"Of course. If it were, then you wouldn't bother asking me to come back to the formerly-Skrull-infiltrated Avengers."

"No, I…I wasn't accusing you of anything. I'm sorry it came off that way."

"Besides, I've already got my hands full on my own. Vanko there? I just got done exposing him to the Russian government for the sale of military hardware after he spent two months trying to hook up with Stark Industries. Thought he could secure a weapons contract with us. Clearly, he hasn't been watching the news for the last eight years or so." Steve kept his composure.

"I didn't mean to offend or force you, Tony. I thought I'd ask while I was here, that's all."

"Right. Well, you've already got the keys to your HQ. Better get to knocking on Hank and Jan's door, because it's a no from me."

"Actually, we already asked them. They'd like to focus on raising Hope."

"I know. They were just the first people to come into my head."

* * *

 _Avengers Mansion, now…_

Drivers and pedestrians going by 890 Fifth Avenue were treated to quite the diverse gathering of characters that summer morning. Before the closed gates of Avengers Mansion stood eight people, waiting for the last of their number to arrive. Only New York's red-and-blue web-slinger himself was in his costume, perched atop a streetlight beside the others in their civilian clothes. At the far end of the group, a young black man sat atop a luggage bag, taking in the metropolitan surroundings. His medium-length black dreadlocks were held back from his eyeline by a headband, his small smile slightly displacing his dark mutton chops. He turned around at the tap on his shoulder, looking up to see a blonde white man younger than himself smiling down at him.

"Hey, how's it goin'?" The blonde offered his hand. "Name's Sam Guthrie, nice to meet you."

"Eden Fesi." The dreadlocked man replied in his Aboriginal Australian accent, taking the hand and shaking. Sam nodded profusely to himself, biting his lip as he looked at the mansion again. As Eden could tell by his voice, he could barely contain his excitement. His Kentucky accent made his jubilance sound even more wholesome.

"It's awesome, right? We're gonna be Avengers. Ain't that just the coolest thing ever?"

"Right, yeah. Awesome."

"I just can't wait to get out there and start blastin', y'know? Show Kang and Ultron and all the other big bads what we're packin'. You excited, Eden?" Eden found he couldn't quite match his enthusiasm.

"Uh, sure, I guess."

"Hey, it's cool if ya ain't." Sam pointed his thumb to the same-aged dark-skinned Latino behind him, who was texting on his phone. "My pal Bobby ain't as buzzed, either. Guess the idea of bein' called 'new Avenger Sunspot' doesn't hit him like 'new Avenger Cannonball' hits me." Bobby sighed and looked up from his phone at Sam.

"We've been over this, Sam." His tone was light despite his choice in language, helped some by his Brazilian accent. "I'm plenty excited to have received this offer. But so far, all it's meant is we've traded up one mansion for another. You'll see me smiling once we're in the field." Sam smirked playfully at his classmate.

"Isn't that what you said when you first showed up at Xavier's, silver spoon?" Bobby responded to Sam's expression in kind.

"Well, we can't all be farmers, Colonel Sanders." Sam turned back to Eden.

"Anyway, you got a codename yet? Or are you new to the biz? Forgive me, but I ain't ever seen you before."

"Yeah, and that's a real shock. This dork here knows the date the Fantastic Four got hit by those cosmic rays by heart." Sam elbowed Bobby quiet as Eden responded.

"I go by Manifold."

"Like the Calabi-Yau manifold?"

"I…have no idea. They just gave me the name."

"Who's they?" Eden locked up slightly.

"I'm pretty sure they told me I can't say." Sam was initially sullen, until he turned back to Bobby, who himself was back to texting, and covered his mouth to whisper in his ear.

"20 bucks says he's ex-SHIELD."

"Uh huh." Bobby kept his eyes on his phone. Sam frowned slightly before looking down at the screen as his friend typed a message to their classmate Amara back at the X-Mansion. He smirked once again as a notion crossed his mind. "Whoa now, Bobby, you can't send _that_ to Jubilee!" He suddenly shouted. Bobby's instantly panicked eyes shot off his phone and he looked past the skinny white guy beside him to see Logan staring sideways right back at him, his eyes cutting as deep as his claws. Then he turned angrily back to a giggling Sam and punched him a tad harder than perhaps he should have. Logan shifted his eyes off the energetic youths as he took the cigar from his teeth and blew another puff of smoke.

"Logan?" The man to his left said, not drawing his attention. "I, uh, I don't think you'll be allowed to smoke when we get in the mansion." Logan maintained his forward stare as he placed the short, smouldering stoogie back in his mouth, some of the ash falling off onto his leather jacket.

"Then you'd better let me enjoy this one in peace, Banner." His grim reply prompted only a nod from Bruce, who turned away and went back to minding his own business with his hands in his pockets and his eyes on his shoes. Beside the scrappy, cigar-chomping X-Man was a completely ordinary occurrence: two strangers, one a redhead woman, the other an Asian man, standing beside each other in complete silence. It would have been totally unexceptional under any other circumstances…except Spider-Man was hanging by his feet off the streetlamp between them.

"So, Widow, how's the lying and killing going?" He asked the redhead, his voice affable despite his words. "Business booming? Tortures still torture-y?"

"All confidential," Natasha replied, her Russian accent making her words even dryer. "And how about you? Rescue many cats from trees while I've been off gathering intelligence to overthrow dictators?"

"Two or three, yeah." Widow nodded, though her expression remained stone still. Spider-Man turned his head to the Asian man to Natasha's right. "I don't believe we've met. Name's Spider-Man, of the friendly-neighbourhood variety." The man smiled politely and bowed his head.

"I have heard of you, Spider-Man." His relaxed voice stood in stark contrast to Natasha's dispassionate tone. "My name is Shang-Chi."

"Shang-Chi. Cool. So, what's your thing? You're like Iron Fist or something?"

"No. I'm better." Spider-Man chuckled at the complete confidence Shang-Chi uttered that statement with. Then he looked into his dark eyes and realised he wasn't joking.

"Right, well, just for reference? The last person I heard say that was Moon Knight, and I had to fish him out of a dumpster a block away from the spot where he said that once Iron Fist himself proved otherwise."

"Danny told me he and Moon Knight were friends."

"Yeah, well, at first the white-hooded whacko made it very difficult for anyone to get along with him. We were called in by Daredevil to help him take down the Kingpin and – wait, 'Danny'? You know him?"

"Of course. That's how I found out I was his better." Spider-Man looked at Natasha as if seeking validation. She offered nothing in response. The web-head didn't get any more time to be shocked, however, as the group of recruits looked up to see two costumed heroines descend onto the road to join them. As they came closer to the ground, their costumes became visible: it was Captain Marvel and Spider-Woman. A friendly smile was on Captain Marvel's face as she touched the ground, but the same could not have been said for Spider-Woman. Even with half her face covered by her mask, her anxiety couldn't have been more obvious. What's worse, as she stared at the gathered people with worry, they stared back with suspicion. Captain Marvel saw their faces and thought perhaps they simply weren't used to seeing her in the original Kree hero's colours yet. Then she realised they were looking at Spider-Woman, which given that Jessica's arrival at the mansion was on the condition that Carol accompanied her, wasn't helpful. Her expression turned indignant as she addressed them.

"What, you've never seen two genuine Avengers before?" She rhetorically asked, snapping everyone out of their staring states. Spider-Woman leant over to her friend.

"You didn't have to do that." She muttered meekly.

"One of us had to." Captain Marvel responded with equal volume but greater assurance. At that moment, Spider-Man flipped down from the lamppost and sidled up to the two.

"Thank God you arrived." He began. "I thought I was the only one who showed up in costume." Spider-Woman's thankful grin towards Captain Marvel stuck around at getting at least one friendly greeting from the gathered heroes. From a window on the third floor of the mansion, Hawkeye watched over the waiting recruits with crossed arms and a scrutinising expression, fully dressed in-costume per Captain America's orders. Falcon leant against the wall beside him in his own red and white garb with a relaxed smile.

"They're all here," Hawkeye said.

"Is that a hint of disappointment I hear?" Falcon rhetorically asked.

"How could I be disappointed? Nat always comes through when I call her up."

"Come on, Clint. If Steve thinks these guys are Avengers material, I don't doubt it for a second."

"Yeah, well, the only reason any of them are even here is that Steve also thinks 'no' is an acceptable answer from long-time teammates when being asked for help."

"You were the one fighting hardest for the Avengers to reassemble." Hawkeye turned his head to Falcon sternly.

"Exactly. Iron Man, Thor, She-Hulk, Black Panther, Vision, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, Ant-Man, Wasp, Mockingbird. _They_ were the Avengers. Now it's just you, me, Steve, and Carol, stuck with a batch of…of lone wolves, no-names, and second chancers. Except for Nat. She gets a pass."

"Right. Because none of our old teammates were ever former weapons contractors, killer robots, mutant terrorists, cousins of unstoppable beasts, or archery-themed criminals." Hawkeye paused as he looked back out the window, silently cursing himself at being verbally outmanoeuvred.

"At least with Jen, there was never a chance she'd bite my head off mid-battle."

"What about that time you shot her in the ass with one of your taser arrows?" Hawkeye threw his arms up.

"Come on, the ONE TIME I missed and no one can let it go!" Falcon chortled to himself as he brought his fingers to the communicator in his ear.

"They're all here, Cap."

"Understood." Cap's voice crackled back through. "Meet you at the door."

"Copy that." Falcon and Hawkeye made their way out of the bedroom and down the stairs to the first floor, where Captain America had come up from practise in the sub-basement levels, dressed in uniform like his subordinates.

"Got your rousing speech prepped, Cap?" Hawkeye sarcastically asked as he walked on his right towards the front door.

"Of course, why else would I have been down there so long?" Cap simply replied. Hawkeye looked at Falcon on the Captain's left.

"Can't tell if he's joking." Falcon shrugged.

"Guess we'll find out." He responded. Captain America pushed the wooden doors open and let the light into the freshly-cleaned mansion. The recruits outside all turned to see the three Avengers standing atop the building's front steps as Cap tapped his ID card and opened the gates behind them. Hawkeye ran his sceptical eyes over the new members once again. Falcon simply crossed his arms and looked at Captain America, who placed his fists on his hips as he smiled.

"Avengers!" He began in a clear, booming, declarative tone. Sam thumped Bobby as he grinned ear-to-ear.

"He's gonna say 'assemble'!" He loudly whispered.

"Assemble!"

"We already did, bub," Logan grumbled to himself as he tossed his cigar butt onto the sidewalk. While Natasha and Shang were unshaken, the ecstatic Sam could have died happy right at that moment. Bobby placed a hand on his shoulder, half expecting him to blast off on the spot. Bruce and Eden each smiled to themselves at hearing the famous rallying cry directed their way, while Spider-Woman seemed to wince at the words the way one would wince at wearing an ill-fitting sweater. Unbeknownst to her, Spider-Man was doing the same under his mask. Captain Marvel saw Spider-Woman's hesitation and placed an arm around her slumped shoulders, drawing her worried friend's eyes to her own and prompting another mutual smile between the two.

"Spare an arm to hug another spider-person, Cap?" Spider-Man interrupted, ruining the two's moment. Captain Marvel shot him the look to show it, prompting Spider-Man to cross his arms and look away. "Fine. But if you ever need a web-patterned shoulder to lean on, remember this little moment before you get mad when I say 'no'."


	2. A-League, Part 1

**Lone Wolves, No-Names, and Second Chancers**

 **A-League, Part 1:** Synergy

 _New York City…_

The woman's screams echoed down the alleyway but were heard by no one. The streets weren't so populated in the early hours of the morning, giving criminals like the masked group of four threatening this young lady with knives and balled fists a regular window of opportunity.

"Shut up!" One of the thugs demanded, successfully reducing the woman's cries to whimpers as he waved his blade about.

"Aw, I liked hearin' the screams." One of the crew lamented.

"Yeah, well, you've got issues." The third criminal commented.

"I'll say." The criminals turned on another female voice, looking up at the wall behind them to see Spider-Woman stuck to it on her hands and feet. The victim's whimpers faded even further at the sight of her.

"Ah, crap." The fourth thug let out. Spider-Woman's hands swiftly shot off the wall and her palms opened, firing two yellow bolts of bioelectricity which instantly incapacitated two of the criminals. As his remaining partner started off down the alleyway, the knife-wielder showed off his towering intellect by stepping towards the superhero with only his weapon and his gritted teeth. Spider-Woman flipped off the wall and came down on his head with her heels together like a hammer. He hit the ground at the exact moment she finished somersaulting backwards off his scalp to land on her feet. She looked down the alley and raised her hand to shoot down the last of the muggers. She was taken off-guard by the white stream that shot past her extended arm like a bullet before sticking to the criminal's shoulder and yanking him onto his back. She turned around to see Spider-Man taking his web-line in both hands to reel his catch in as he made masked eye contact with his fellow Avenger.

"Spidey." He greeted with a nod.

"Spidey," Spider-Woman replied with a grin. As Spider-Man dragged the criminal back up the alley, Spider-Woman turned to the former victim. "Are you okay?" The woman nodded frantically.

"I was making my way to work like every other day and they came out of nowhere and…" She calmed down as her mouth shaped into a smile of gratitude. "…thank you."

"Will you be able to make the rest of your route okay?"

"I think so. Really, thank you both so much." Spider-Woman's exposed lower face revealed how her expression mirrored that of the citizen.

"No need to thank us."

"You kidding?" Spider-Man asked incredulously. "You and I need good publicity like this guy here needs to get better friends. You should take this to the Daily Bugle, miss. Tell Jameson about how we're Avengers as of yesterday, too." Spider-Man lifted the criminal who had been dragged to his feet off the ground with one hand. "Now, Mister Mugger, what do you say to Miss Innocent Victim?" The criminal could barely look at the woman he'd attacked.

"Sorry…" He mumbled.

"Like you mean it!" Spider-Woman looked away to hide her amused smile, something the young lady wasn't worried about as she stared at the wall-crawler.

"Sorry." He repeated clearly.

"Good. And really, get some better friends." Spider-Man hammered his scalp with his free fist and released him, then turned to the young woman. "You can get going." The young woman was still smiling as she made her way out of the alley. As she disappeared around the corner, Spider-Man called out. "AND REMEMBER, BOTH SPIDERS, BOTH AVENGERS!" He looked at Spider-Woman as he lowered his voice. "You're out early."

"Had trouble sleeping. Thought I'd catch the baddies unawares. How about you?"

"Needed to get up early for...um…an engagement."

"Is it a college lecture?" Spider-Man jumped slightly at her accurate deduction.

"Uh…no."

"Come on, the mask doesn't hide your voice _that_ well. I know what a 19-year-old from Queens sounds like." Spider-Man crossed his arms.

"Right, well, let's cut off the secret identity speculation there, okay?" Spider-Woman raised her hands.

"As you wish." Spider-Man lowered his arms to his hips.

"You do that ID card check-in yet? Did mine when I got up." Spider-Woman put her hands behind her back as she looked away.

"Well…no."

"Really? What if Cap needs backup fighting the Serpent Society or something later?"

"He wouldn't."

"True. But it's about team spirit, isn't it? Showing we're all active and ready to assemble and all that."

"I guess so."

"Not big on synergy?"

"Well, I didn't get a lot of time to know any of the old Avengers except Carol before…uh…"

"Before you were replaced by the Skrull Empress?" Spider-Woman was surprised at how direct Spider-Man was.

"…yeah. And I don't know any of the new ones at all, either."

"You're not gonna resolve that by avoiding them, y'know."

"I'll check in later, okay?" Spider-Man could tell he was pushing his teammate further than perhaps he should, given they'd only met a few times before ending up on the same team. She popped up two years into his career, which was also two years ago. She'd spent the last year in Skrull captivity, meaning despite their age difference, he was the veteran hero of the two. Her obvious reluctance coupled with his realisation of seniority inspired his next words.

"It's alright, actually. I, um, I wasn't crazy about Cap's offer, either. Wasn't even sure I'd show up to the first assembly until my girlfriend talked me around."

"Really?"

"That's surprising?" Spider-Woman nodded like he'd asked the dumbest question in the world.

"You blended right in. You were the only one Wolverine could be bothered talking to other than Captain America."

"I wasn't scared of that. It's…I don't like pulling other people into my problems. And now it's gonna be all 'hey, Spidey, need some backup fighting Goblin? I'll grab Hawkeye and Captain Marvel and we'll be over there in a minute!' and…I guess I'm not really much of a team player. Maybe the odd team-up every month or so, but that'd be it, usually." Spider-Woman nodded understandingly, before cracking a smile.

"Who was that supposed to be an impression of?"

"Falcon. Obviously."

"Not so obvious, obviously."

"We need to cut off the witty comebacks here or neither of us is leaving."

"Sure. I understand what you mean about the shared responsibility thing." Spider-Man nodded. "Thanks for the help here. You should get to your class."

"Engagement."

"Whatever you say, Empire State."

"What did I say about speculation!?" Spider-Woman laughed to herself. Spider-Man shook his head as he shot a web-line to the roof's edge above him and pulled himself up into the air. "No respect…" He muttered under his breath as he made his way up.

* * *

 _Avengers Mansion…_

The freshly-woken Eden scratched his head, his hair loose and unrestrained like a shadowy waterfall atop his head as he came down the stairs from his room, dressed only in his pyjama shorts. His life in the Australian outback dressed almost exclusively in a loincloth left him without fear of exposure, though his muscular, toned body was nothing to be covered up anyway. The first signs of life he detected came from the living room, which he entered to find Sam and Bobby playing video games in. Both boys were wholly focused on the FPS they were gunning their way through in co-op.

"Morning." Eden greeted.

"Morning." Bobby obligatorily returned.

"Hey." Sam casually said. Eden looked past them to see their empty breakfast plates on the coffee table in front of them.

"I thought Jarvis said all food was to be eaten in the dining room." He commented. "He made a very British point of saying 'that's what the bloody room's meant for, no matter what Mister Barton has to say on the matter'."

"Nice impression," Bobby commented.

"Cheers."

"Professor X never let us eat outside the dinin' room back at the X-Mansion, either," Sam explained, his voice flat as his eyes narrowed on the enemy he just finished head-shotting. "Difference is, Jarvis doesn't have mind powers. Well, none we were told about in orientation yesterday."

"You'd think he'd be more than a butler to the Avengers if he has mind powers," Bobby commented, just before shooting out of his seat with a frustrated expression, startling Eden. "COME ON! How the hell was I meant to know that guy was around the corner!?" As he sat back down, still fuming, Eden asked the obvious.

"Where's everyone else? It's, like, 11 o'clock."

"Think Logan's havin' a cigar outside." Sam began as he waited to respawn. "Hawkeye and Falcon are downstairs trainin', Shang-Chi's meditatin', dunno where anyone else is." He cut himself off with a sigh. "Dang it, I died." He dryly lamented.

"That's sniper's such a pain in the ass, right?" Bobby eagerly asked. Sam shrugged. Eden heard a whooshing noise come from his pocket. He pulled out his ID card to see it flashing arrows from beside the Avengers' signature A at him.

"Looks like I'm being called upon, boys." He said anxiously. Sam managed to get worked up at that, while Bobby's attention didn't shift from the TV.

"Dang it! I was hopin' it'd be me."

"You owe me 5 bucks, Sam," Bobby stated.

"Wish me luck," Eden said as he made his way out of the room. As he slid his card into his pocket again, he came to a realisation. "Should probably put on some actual clothes."

* * *

 _Training room 3, subbasement…_

The incense was running to the end of the wick with an ashen trail lying under its white wisps, not that the person inhaling it for the last hour cared. Shang's shirtless body was as straight and still as it was peacefully numb. His muscles slept beneath his skin as he maintained their strength. His hands rested on his knees as his eyes wandered through the pitch-black caves of their closed lids. The attuning of his senses let him hear the footsteps that ended beside the open door to the vast metal room he sat in the centre of.

"I'll be finished shortly." He calmly called out to the person at the door.

"No, it's okay." He heard Bruce call back. "I was just making my way back upstairs from exploring the labs down here and...the scent was quite hypnotising."

"Does it tame your mind and body as it does mine?" Bruce laughed awkwardly, mostly to himself.

"I have enough taming going on as it is without that stuff, thank you." Shang opened his eyes and extended his crossed legs to stand up before turning to face Bruce.

"Having only ever heard of the Hulk, I must admit to being surprised, Doctor. Our new teammates barely hesitated to speak with you yesterday." Bruce started making his way towards Shang with his arms crossed and his head down.

"I'm not the one they're afraid of."

"Do _you_ fear the Hulk, Doctor Banner?" Bruce looked up and kept his head raised as he spoke, his voice coming out stronger as he answered.

"I thought I did. Then I realised the only thing I'm afraid of is what the Hulk is capable of. Which I also realised is the only thing anyone has really feared him for. If I put him in a place with a lot of good people who can point him in the right direction, he doesn't have to be a monster to be feared. He can truly become the Avenger he gave up being years ago." Shang nodded intently.

"Do you expect he'll cooperate?"

"Assuming Wolverine doesn't cause any more bad blood between the two of them." Bruce came to a stop before Shang. "He likes Spider-Man. And Captain America. Not sure about anyone else."

"He told you so?"

"Among other things, yes. Our conversation last night was riveting." Shang nodded once more. Bruce smiled. "Y'know, you're the first person I've told about my chats with the Hulk who didn't look at me funny. Except for my psychiatrist." Shang shrugged.

"We all have demons to conquer in our hearts. Monsters to slay in the dungeons of our minds. The only difference is that yours makes himself more apparent when provoked."

"That's…one way to put it. You seem to have yours pretty effectively slain." Shang shook his head.

"I've only won over them because I've come to understand the truth."

"Which is?"

"That the battle never ends." Shang took a knee to gather what was left of his incense and pick up the box he brought it in as Bruce let his words sink in. After shooting back up, he bowed his head. "Doctor." He stepped deftly around Bruce. Halfway to the door, he heard the shaky, humble voice call to him again.

"Call me Bruce."

* * *

 _Assembly room, subbasement…_

Manifold came through the sliding metal door to see three of his teammates in seats at the circular table, Captain America standing on one end of it. His hair had been done up to its dreadlocked, headbanded standard state and he was in his short-sleeved brown costume adorned with golden stripes and dual circles linked by a line on his chest. Cloth was wrapped like bandages over his forearms and white stripes went over his cheeks and chin, while his spear sat in its retracted state on his hip. He made it to the table whose surface was blue with a black Avengers logo over it, all in a red rim, and took a seat beside the visibly impatient Hawkeye across from Black Widow and Captain Marvel. He put on a smile as he explained himself.

"I'm a fan of sleep."

"Let's not waste any more time." Captain America said, not intending to prompt the slightly guilty look Manifold gave. He tapped on the console on his end of the table's rim and summoned a hologram of a mine over its face. "Two hours ago, a salt mine in Ohio was attacked and the workers were taken hostage. This wasn't known until the call came through to the FBI 10 minutes ago from the man responsible." His voice shifted noticeably. It didn't normally carry any hints of contempt. "The Red Skull. He's demanded an audience with me and he'll kill a miner for every hour I'm not there."

"You're gonna show, right?" Hawkeye asked urgently.

"Of course. But he didn't say I couldn't bring a few friends." Manifold smiled. "Something like this is too small for the Skull. If he's got something up his sleeve, I want there to be plenty of powerhouses in reserve back here." He turned his head to each teammate as he addressed them in turn. "Manifold, you'll need to take us to the mine. Teleportation is a hell of a lot quicker than a Quinjet and we're being timed." Manifold nodded.

"No problem."

"I'll give Skull what he wants so no one gets hurt. Widow, you and I will head in together, and while I keep him distracted, you sneak ahead. Locate the miners and confirm the presence of additional hostiles, threats to the workers, or anything else the Skull could be hiding, and report to the rest of us. Relay the miners' coordinates to Manifold so he can clear them of the sight and deal with anything else you've found."

"Understood." She replied.

"Once no one's in harm's way, Hawkeye, you'll move in. We'll keep the fighting underground and you'll have the drop on Skull."

"Right." He said. "That way it's just us who are in danger of being killed."

"You've been an Avenger for how long?" Manifold teased the archer's cynicism, prompting a grin from Widow.

"Ms…sorry, Captain Marvel, you're on standby. Skull could all too easily have cards he isn't playing until I arrive, and if that's the case…"

"You need a big gun that won't also turn the mine into a crater." She concluded. "Got it."

"Any questions, soldiers?" The unit was silent. Cap nodded at Manifold. "Let's move out." Manifold got out of his chair and faced away from the table. He opened his palms and closed his eyes to focus, and moments later, pure white light shone from within his hands. A shining golden circle materialised before him, and within it, only a footstep away from the underground facility in New York, was the entrance to the mine.

* * *

 _Ohio…_

"Not the kind of teleportation I expected," Hawkeye commented as he finished stepping through the portal.

"It's not teleportation, it's bending time and space." Widow stated as she followed.

"She's right," Manifold interjected from the front of the group.

"And you know this because…?" Hawkeye's inquiry was met by Widow and Manifold briefly locking eyes before Widow answered.

"Classified." The two Captains came through last while Hawkeye rolled his eyes at the non-answer he'd been given.

"Widow?" Captain America simply said. She nodded and walked at his side into the mine. The walls glimmered ever so slightly as they made their way through the manmade cavern. As they reached the primary mining station, the two turned and nodded to each other before splitting. While Widow disappeared into the walls to weave her way through the shadows, Cap kept moving forward. He was soon stopped, struck by a blinding light suddenly piercing the darkness, causing him to recoil in a startled state.

"Captain!" The harsh voice came through in its all too familiar German accent from beside the spotlight on the platform above Cap. Captain America lowered his hands to see how the light beside his old enemy shone ever so slightly on the side of his red scalp, his gloved hands around the safety railing before him. "Your arrival was faster than expected. I was hoping to have a body to present you with." Cap balled a fist at his side, then wished he hadn't. He could almost hear the smile spreading over the villain's sickly scarlet face at his reaction.

"I'm right here, Skull!" Captain America boomed back. "You've got what you want! No one else has to get hurt! Come down and face me!"

"Ah, but I wouldn't be facing just you, would I? For all I know, my landing on that floor could be met with an arrow or a punch from the gipsy speedster. How are the Avengers these days, Captain? Are they enjoying our little exchange from the shadows?"

"It's just you and me here, Skull."

"Please, Captain, don't try to deceive me. It's embarrassing just watching you try."

"If you don't want a fight, what are you doing here? Isn't conquering a salt mine small potatoes for the world's rightful ruler?"

"I only wanted your attention…though I would have loved to savour the look on your face if you hadn't arrived so early. You see, Captain, I want to help you. To liberate you of the inferior races and leather-clad whores you've surrounded yourself with and lead you into a better tomorrow."

"You must have the wrong guy. There's no such thing as an inferior race and none of the women I know match that description." It was Cap's turn to relish in annoying his archenemy. He could see the Skull's gloves tightening around the bar.

"All these decades since the war and you still insist on weakness."

"You haven't budged an inch either, Skull, but I don't complain. I just get ready for the next round."

"Ever the soldier. But it's not war you live for, no. It's your army. Your reliance on the Avengers weakens you, Captain, and even if they weren't a dozen-point list of all the failings of the modern world, that would remain true. When you were an army on your own, single-handedly carving a path through Nazi forces with nothing but your shield and your will…that's when you were at your strongest."

"Tell that to the time-travelling conquerors, alien invaders, and genocidal robots we've driven off. When the Avengers assemble, tyrants fall." Red Skull turned away, pulling a hand off the railing. Cap pulled his shield off his back and readied it on his arm as he took a fighting stance. Then, after a moment of silence, the mine was filled with mounting, unsettling laughter from the Skull.

"It appears you will be the one to fall today, Captain. Literally. Shocker…bring it all down." Right when he finished speaking, the very walls the two stood within tremored, shockwaves running under Cap's soles as they made their way through the series of tunnels. As he steadied himself, Black Widow's voice came through the communicator in his ear.

"Widow to Captain America! I located the hostages! Manifold managed to get them to safety but the Shocker's here!" Before Cap could respond, more lights switched on all around him, shining on him from above and beneath him from tall, thin towers and low-set floodlights. In his disorientation, he had no time to react to the metal man that rocketed his way from the left. An armoured fist struck his jaw, then another struck his stomach. He had nary a moment to get his bearings and recognise his opponent before a massive hand wrapped around his body and threw him the ground. His vision corrected at last as the adrenaline rushed through him on impact with the ground. He looked up to see the scaly-skinned, teeth-bearing Abomination and an unfamiliar, power-armoured figure coloured crimson staring down at him. He looked past the two villains to see the Red Skull, fully illuminated, grinning broadly with his hands behind his back as he stared down at his nemesis.

"Where is your army now, Captain?" He grimly asked.

* * *

 _Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed. If you're really liking this story so far, give it a favourite, and tell your fellow authors to check it out. Next chapter, Cap's team squares off with the Skull! If you have anything to say or suggest, any plot holes to point out, details needing clarification, or general questions to ask, feel free to PM me or leave a review. Take care._


	3. A-League, Part 2

**Lone Wolves, No-Names, and Second Chancers**

 **A-League, Part 2:** Combat Tactics

 _Ohio…_

In an instant, Captain America rolled off his back into a crouching pose and tossed his shield at the power-armoured villain's face. It deflected off his head as he stumbled back to hit Abomination in his own face before returning to Cap's outstretched arm. As he held the shield before him, he raised his other hand to his ear to boom his orders through his communicator.

"Hawkeye, Marvel, additional hostiles present! Move in now! Manifold, stay with the civilians! Widow, subdue Shocker!" He didn't get to hear so much as a 'copy that' before he had to place both arms behind his shield as it took the Abomination's fist. Cap slid back with the impact, giving the red-suited mystery attacker an opportunity to move in. Cap tried to fend him off with a swing of his shield, but the villain ducked under his arm before popping back up to seize his throat in his cold iron grip. The villain leant towards Cap's face as he spoke.

"I was hoping to face Iron Man today." He said in a modulated Russian accent. "Perhaps your death will draw him out of his top-floor office."

"Who are you?" Captain America asked through gritted teeth, having vaguely recognised the voice.

"The Crimson Dynamo." The dramatic giving of his name provided Cap with the perfect window. He swung his shield again, this time successfully striking the side of the Dynamo's helmet and throwing him aside. As he slipped out of Dynamo's grip, he was swatted to the wall by the Abomination's fist, protected once more by his shield but not able to stop his flying impact. Abomination growled as he ran towards the Avenger, his 11-foot form casting a bulky, monstrous shadow over the Captain. He was stopped before he reached Cap by another blow to the side of the head: a golden bolt of energy. Cap turned in the direction of the blast's origin with a grin as Abomination stumbled back, seeing Captain Marvel flying fearlessly his way with Hawkeye trailing behind, his bow in hand with an arrow on its string. While Captain Marvel tackled Abomination's side and pushed him towards the Skull's platform, Hawkeye raised his bow and fired his arrow at Crimson Dynamo. As the arrow's cylindrical head sent electricity coursing through his armour, Captain Marvel slammed her fists into Abomination's body, earning his throaty grunts as she laid into him. Hawkeye stopped before Cap, another arrow already in his bow.

"In over your head again, old man?" He quipped.

"Thought I'd give you something to do." Cap returned. His grin vanished in an instant as he snapped forward to shield the two of them from an incoming, blue-coloured energy blast. As the shield lowered, Hawkeye turned to see Crimson Dynamo's fist held out, the blue light around his wrist fading as he clutched the arrow in his hand. Hawkeye fired at Dynamo, this arrow's head an explosive that stunned Dynamo as it blew up against his chest, before turning back to Cap. "Keep him busy. Skull's mine." Hawkeye nodded and turned around, holding his position and drawing another arrow from his quiver to aim at Dynamo with while Cap ran towards Captain Marvel and Abomination. The hovering, female Captain had just brought two fists down on Abomination's head to bring him to his knees, giving Cap the perfect stepping stone to Skull. He leapt onto the massive Gamma mutant's scaly back and bound off it to land on the platform his nemesis stood on just as Captain Marvel struck the Hulk's old foe with an uppercut. Captain America and Red Skull stood at opposite ends of the platform, both eager to close the distance. While the hero grimaced, the villain smirked.

"I knew you were lying," Skull said.

"At least I didn't act like having backup was the weakling's way," Cap said, before smiling to himself. "What do your thugs here make _you_ , then?" Skull's smirk turned to a frown as he charged towards the star-spangled super soldier.

* * *

Elsewhere in the mine, the seemingly stitched-together Shocker wandered the shadow-cast caverns in search of the Avenger he'd spotted while supervising the hostages. His clenched fists vibrated slightly as his gauntlets pulsed with power. His vision getting him nowhere, he resorted to talking to draw the heroine out.

"Come on, give me a break. You're some crazy-good super-spy and I'm just here doing a job. At least show yourself so it's a fair fight." A small pellet struck the ground between Shocker's feet, cracking open to release a cloud of smoke. Though he groaned in frustration and waved his hands around to try to clear the shroud, he didn't so much as gasp for air, something Black Widow was rather disappointed by. She figured he'd need further assistance being knocked out. Quick as a candlelight flame and with even less noise, she dashed through the cloud to pounce on Shocker's back. Her fingertips were an inch away from his body when the grey forcefield revealed itself, blasting her back without him having to do a thing. She grunted as her back smashed into the ground. Shocker turned around to face her just as she rolled back into a crouch and blasted a Widow's Bite from each of her bracelets. Like her pounce, the electric blast only served to activate Shocker's forcefield. He tilted his head as he looked down at her unwavering expression. Behind her eyes, her mind raced to answer two questions: how did a B-list Spider-Man villain get such good tech, and how does she get past it? "Nothing personal, sweetheart." Shocker simply said, before throwing his fists forward and firing his own blasts at her. She rolled forward between his legs to avoid it, then raised her bracelets once again and blasted two cables above her. She zipped up and stuck to the shaking cavern ceiling just as Shocker turned around again. He stomped his foot in frustration; Widow was right to rely on his inability to consider looking up, even after so long being constantly thwarted by a different, less subtly-dressed wall-crawler. She reasoned his newly-acquired forcefield must be tied to his gauntlets, which she noted looked bulkier than they usually did in the attached images on the SHIELD reports. Even with this conclusion, she had no way of defeating him on her own. She opted to simply observe from above as he carried on. She heard him mutter to himself, "Well, even if I can't find her, I can still squash her…" Widow stayed still as he advanced deeper into the cavern, then threw his fists into the floor, producing another shockwave that made the whole mine tremor. She was shaken off the ceiling but still managed to land deftly on the ground with Shocker no wiser. She waited for him to carry on further down before raising her fingers to her earpiece and speaking quietly.

"Widow to all points, be advised. Shocker is causing the tremors. His tech is operating on a level much higher than previously observed. I'll be tailing him, but I can't take him out myself, so take care when the room starts shaking."

"Copy that. Think maybe some backup could help?" Hawkeye's voice responded.

"Not unless you have an anti-vibrational forcefield arrow on you."

"Ah, left that in my other quiver."

"Then Widow out."

* * *

"You ally yourself with the Black Widow?" Crimson Dynamo asked incredulously as he fired another blue blast at Hawkeye, who cartwheeled effortlessly out of its way. "That bitch who betrayed her country?"

"Okay, first, watch that mouth, she happens to be my best friend," Hawkeye said as he placed another arrow on his bowstring. "Second, are you seriously still salty about the end of the Soviets? That was, like 25 years ago, right?" Hawkeye rolled out of the way of another of Dynamo's blasts.

"26."

"Long enough that I can't keep it straight in my head! Which tells me…" Hawkeye fired, the arrowhead exploding on Dynamo's chest and releasing a burst of liquid nitrogen to literally freeze him on the spot. "…that you ought to cool off." Hawkeye figured he wouldn't have long before the icy shell on Dynamo's armour cracked apart, so he took advantage of the moment by drawing and firing an arrow at the Abomination. Its head crackled with electricity on impact with Abomination's side, prompting him to scowl with discomfort and opening him up to another punch in the face from the floating Captain Marvel. Abomination stumbled back and yanked the arrow off his scaly skin like it was a bee sting.

"So, how about you, Blonksy?" Captain Marvel tauntingly asked her opponent. "Thought maybe you'd get a rematch with the Hulk? Help him stay ahead on the scoreboard?"

"The fact that you would willingly work with that animal is an insult." The Abomination growled back, before charging towards her with a sickly-green fist that she only just barely blocked with her forearms as it hit her. "But yes, I was hoping for another chance to put him down. It feels like a waste now, using my power on an inferior subject." Captain Marvel drew a deep breath, then rushed at Abomination faster than he could react and grabbed him by the pointed ears. With a cry worthy of the mighty Thor himself, she threw him by his head into the mine's wall. He had only just smashed into it and cracked its surface before he was hit by a golden stream of her light from her open hands, following which she dashed forward and threw her fists into his gut over and over with consistent speed but increasing strength. Her gritted teeth and focused expression were just the cherries on top as she punched away, driving him deeper into the wall with every blow. Once she was satisfied, she lowered herself back to the ground, standing up straight at just under half the monster's height. Her voice boomed angrily as she addressed him.

"You're the Hulk's guy, does that seem like something he'd do?"

"Forgot how scary you are when you're pissed," Hawkeye commented. Captain Marvel suddenly dashed at him, making him recoil in fear for a moment until he realised she was blocking a blast from Crimson Dynamo with her chest. Her body sucked in the energy and threw it back at the defrosted Dynamo in her own golden style. As Dynamo smashed into the mine wall, Hawkeye exhaled with relief. "Wanna trade dance partners?" Marvel turned around again and saw Abomination pulling himself out of his hole. Her expression stayed serious as she flew at him for another round, while Hawkeye pulled another arrow as Dynamo recuperated. "Guess not."

Neither Captain America nor the Red Skull was tiring as they wailed on each other. Throughout all the brawling that filled the mining station, the walls shook on occasion, courtesy of Shocker. As the heroes and villains kept fighting, however, the magnitude of the quakes slowly incremented along the Richter scale. Only Red Skull was paying attention to that fact. Captain America didn't catch on until he was about to toss his shield at his archenemy once again. Another tremor struck just as he pulled back his arm, shield in hand, splintering the cavern ceiling. He had to switch from offence to defence as sizable shards of shimmering stone came down on him, lifting his shield over his head. Red Skull merely laughed as he taunted him.

"You may be willing to die fighting here, Captain. But something tells me your friends aren't ready to make that same sacrifice." Cap realised Skull's plan. He meant to bury the Avengers in the mine as he and his lackeys escaped somehow. When he figured this out, he didn't hesitate. He turned away from Skull – who was reaching into his coat once again – and leapt over the railing back to the ground. Hawkeye and Captain Marvel were still engaging their chosen foes, but both found their battles broken up by a flying red, white, and blue disc that bounced from Crimson Dynamo to the Abomination. The two villains turned away from the Avengers they were each fighting and locked their eyes on Cap, who raised his fingers to his ear.

"Captain America to all points! Manifold, get Widow out! Marvel, Hawkeye, converge with them outside and return to base! I'll keep these scumbags occupied!"

"Copy that." Black Widow dutifully replied with an edge of reluctance.

"Got it," Manifold said.

"Understood." Captain Marvel responded, nodding to her leader.

"Screw that!" Hawkeye blurted out, another arrow on his bowstring. He shot it at Abomination's face as he charged towards Cap, who was blocking Dynamo's energy blasts with his shield, staggering the reptilian beast.

"That's an order, Hawkeye! This place is coming down any second! You need to go!" Cap's booming voice didn't put Hawkeye off for a second.

"Hell no! We're Avengers! If you're staying, I am too!" Captain America weaved beneath Abomination's legs as he charged towards him, letting him crash into Crimson Dynamo.

"Trust in your team, Hawkeye! Trust me!" Another quake hit, the hardest one yet. Hawkeye merely gritted his teeth.

"I'm not letting you-" A blow to the back of the head cut him off. Captain Marvel grabbed him around the chest as he fell forward, his unconsciousness having come at her open hand.

"Sorry, Barton." She muttered to him, before nodding at her fellow Captain once more. She carried the archer in her arms as she flew off down the tunnel they came in from, leaving Captain America with the villains.

* * *

 _Avengers Mansion…_

Falcon descended upon the front lawn to be greeted by a cloud of grey smoke. He coughed as his transparent red wings retracted into his arms. He turned around to see Logan leaning against the gate, blowing out another puff with his typical grumpy expression.

"Is this all you do every day?" Falcon asked through a strained throat, waving his hand to cut through the dense smoke that seemed to blanket the entire lawn. Logan took another draw.

"You'd rather I do it inside, bub?" He grumbled out. Falcon sighed, mentally questioning what even compelled the X-Man to take Captain America's offer. He didn't have much longer to think on that, however, as a ring of light suddenly apparated beside him. Captain Marvel – carrying Hawkeye – then Widow and finally Manifold stepped through it in turn. Falcon and Logan both heard rumbling noises come through the portal after them just before Manifold closed it.

"Where's Cap?" Falcon immediately asked, seeing the expressions on the conscious Avengers' faces at having returned home.

"You heard that rumbling noise just then?" Manifold asked back. Falcon nodded. "Yeah." Falcon put a hand on his forehead while Logan straightened up at Manifold's response. Captain Marvel and Black Widow both looked at the unconscious Hawkeye before looking at each other with the same uncertain expression.

* * *

 _Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed. If you're really liking this story so far, give it a favourite, and tell your fellow authors to check it out. Next chapter, Red Skull initiates his plan to destroy the Avengers who are now in desperate need of leadership. If you have anything to say or suggest, any plot holes to point out, details needing clarification, or general questions to ask, feel free to PM me or leave a review. Take care._


	4. A-League, Part 3

**Lone Wolves, No-Names, and Second Chancers**

 **A-League, Part 3** : Rallying Call

 _Avengers Mansion…_

Hawkeye woke with a start, still in costume with his cowl lowered and his quiver and bow that leant on the wall beside him. He recognised the tiles of the medical bay's ceiling. Just as he finished getting his bearings, he felt his head throbbing. He placed his hand against the slightly-swollen source of the ache on his scalp.

"What the hell happened?" He muttered to himself.

"Captain's orders." Clint looked down to see Captain Marvel standing at the end of the bed, Falcon and Black Widow at her sides. "Sorry, but…you were being a little too _you_ right then." Hawkeye swung his legs over the side of his bed and picked up his equipment as he stood.

"Where is he?" Hawkeye asked as he donned his quiver.

"We're not sure," Falcon said. "We think he's alive, though. The team's assembled upstairs."

"We've got to go get him." Hawkeye grabbed his bow and started walking to the door, ignoring the light pulsing on the top of his head. The door opened before he could reach it and he stopped at who he saw enter the room.

"Always firing before we aim, aren't we, Clint?" Tony said with a smirk under his perfectly-sculpted moustache. He crossed his arms over his sharp business suit as Clint frowned.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Tony raised an eyebrow before going into a mocking imitation of his former teammate.

"'Hey, Tony, how's it going? Things good with Pepper? How's the company?'"

"Stark's helping us find Cap." Black Widow explained. "He's also been standing at the door for five minutes waiting to make a dramatic entrance when you woke up." Hawkeye rolled his eyes.

"Of course he did. Never shows up anywhere unless it suits him."

"We really gonna do this now, Clint?" Tony asked rhetorically.

"Yes, we are. We were Avengers, Stark. That's not something you just walk away from. Not when there's still a fight to be fought. Not when your team still needs you."

Tony dropped the smugness and responded seriously. "You want to tell that to Hank or Jan while they're nursing Hope? You gonna fly out to Wakanda and get pissed that it won't work on T'Challa? Maybe knocking on Wanda and Vision's door and saying that will bring them around, too." Hawkeye closed his mouth begrudgingly as Tony sighed. "I get it, Clint. For years, we were Earth's mightiest heroes, until that gut-punch came: not even we were safe from the secret invasion. The world the Avengers protect is bigger than all of us. And all of us are as vulnerable as that world is. After what happened with Je - with Veranke, we all realised that. The way I see it, Clint, if you value our old teammates and what they stood for so much, you'll respect their decision - _our_ decision - to step out of the ring after taking a hit like that." Captain Marvel's frustrated footsteps came towards the two.

"What side are you on, Major?" Hawkeye bitterly asked, knowing what he wanted her answer to be. He was startled as she grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back from Tony to stand between the two.

"The side that says if you two can't shelve this little domestic dispute, you'll be sharing a bed in here while the rest of us are off dealing with the only thing that actually matters." Her firm, slightly fierce words finally silenced Tony and Hawkeye. Falcon was next to speak up.

"What've you got on Steve, Tony?"

"Not much," Tony answered, overcoming his annoyance with Clint. "Energy readings from before the quake indicate Skull and his boys teleported out before the mine collapsed. Given Skull's preference towards theatrics, we can assume he didn't let his ultimate victory over Captain America happen in a hole in the middle of Ohio. Supposing he did take Cap with him, though, we're still unable to locate him through his ID card, meaning its either lost, switched off, or Skull found it and one of those two other things happened anyway." Falcon put a hand on his forehead while Widow sighed.

"So, basically, a whole lot of maybe." Captain Marvel summarised.

"If you want to boil it down, yeah. Barring any radio chatter I might pick up from Skull's crew if their line is unencrypted, we're just gonna have to wait for them to pop up again."

"Skull could very well kill Steve, but there's no way he isn't doing it in the open," Falcon stated. Hawkeye scoffed and threw up his arms as he turned to his teammate.

"So, what, we're supposed to wait for Skull to take the stage with Cap's head in a guillotine?"

"Not a bad plan, actually." Widow commented. Hawkeye tilted his head at her.

"Seriously, Nat? This is Steve's life we're talking about!"

"Well, if Sam's right, Steve's life won't be in any danger until Skull takes the stage with him in your guillotine. When that happens, there are thirteen of us to swoop in and save the day or whatever Avengers do."

"Yeah, thing is, all the decent Avengers are in this room right now."

"That's insulting," Falcon said.

"And presumptuous," Tony added. "I'm here for Cap, okay? Iron Man's a solo act these days."

"So is Spider-Man. Wolverine. The Hulk. Those second-stringers upstairs are NOT Avengers." Captain Marvel crossed her arms and pursed her lips as she narrowed her eyes at Hawkeye.

"How about I toss you up through the ceiling into the living room so you can tell Jess that yourself?" Her offended tone and imposing stature silenced the archer once again.

"You guys are really uninspiring for superheroes." Widow dryly remarked.

"Speaking of inspiring…" Falcon began. "…Steve told me you're in charge when he's out, Clint. And given the massive hole his absence puts in morale, it's on you to give the rousing speech, too." Hawkeye paused and rubbed the back of his head.

"Y'know, you'd think having constant approval from Captain America would be a good thing in every instance."

"You'd be right about that," Falcon said with a smile that Hawkeye rolled his eyes at.

* * *

 _Unknown location…_

"Why don't we just kill him now?" Shocker asked.

"I could crush his head in my hand," Abomination added darkly.

"Capitalist scum." Crimson Dynamo grimly commented.

"Didn't you get done for arms dealing?" Dynamo glared at Shocker through his blue visor for pointing out his hypocrisy.

"Silence, all of you." Red Skull's voice echoed from the end of the room. The three villains did what they were ordered as Skull stalked towards them. The trio stepped back from the captured Avenger, whose arms and legs were locked by massive metal cuffs into a circular frame that held him off the ground with his body hanging. Naturally, his shield had been confiscated. "The war between the Captain and myself was raging when all of you were but glints in your father's father's eyes. His won't be a clean death carried out within dark steel walls by second-tier underlings such as yourselves. I will drag him before his nation, battered, bloodied, and brutally break him bone by bone. Show his country what his shield is really worth as I tear it in two."

"Good luck with that." The villains all looked at Cap as he smiled before continuing. "Vibranium doesn't break so easily. And neither will the people." Skull chuckled.

"Ah, but you're the sentinel of liberty, Captain. Without you, freedom will be so easily taken. Replaced by a more…singular vision."

"Not as long as there are Avengers ready to assemble. Whether I live or die, you won't last long once my team knows where you are."

" _Your_ team? How very domineering. I'm impressed." Skull grinned as Cap grimaced. "I suppose that statement will be somewhat warranted, though. I'm certain they will do their utmost to avenge you. I wonder if anyone will seek to avenge _them_ when I make them the foundation of the new world order." Captain America turned his gaze to Shocker, Abomination, and Dynamo.

"You're really going to stand with this madman?" His question sounded more like an order. Shocker shuffled on the spot. Dynamo crossed his arms while Abomination showed his yellowed, jagged teeth.

"Anything for a chance to snap Banner like the twig he is." Abomination justified.

"Or to tear Stark from his armour and put another hole in his chest." Dynamo followed.

"Sorry, Captain. Lotta respect but, y'know, money's money." Shocker simply said. Skull gestured to the villains in his employ.

"Few are as driven to fight as we are, Captain. Most are selfish, moved to act by petty needs."

"Just talk about us like we're not here, that's cool." Shocker snarked.

"It's almost like he has no regard for human life." Cap shared Shocker's tone.

"What value has human life when one can hold the world in their hand?" Skull spoke from the bottom of his diseased, black heart, making Cap all the angrier. Skull suddenly snapped his hands up to grab Cap's face. The star-spangled superhero didn't blink as his archenemy stared him in the eyes with his trademark sinister smirk. "It is not a yearning for revenge or riches that drives me to kill you, Captain. But I suspect I will enjoy doing it all the same."

* * *

 _Avengers Mansion…_

Hawkeye stood in the doorframe staring at the assembled Avengers, biting his lip with concern as Black Widow and Falcon stood either side of him. From afar, he saw the looks on his teammates' faces that ranged from sombre to pessimistic and felt his usual cynicism bubble up.

"'Rousing speech'…" He mocked Falcon's earlier words. "…what the hell do _I_ tell them, huh? Cap makes this seem so easy."

"That's because he believes in his team," Falcon said, before correcting himself. "He believes in _everybody_."

"Including me. Which is clearly a mistake. I talk a big game, but if five years on this team has taught me anything, it's that I'm a follower. Cap's a leader. And unless I forgot the alphabet, that's an H on my head, not an A."

"Then don't pretend there is." Black Widow's words turned Hawkeye's head to her. "Steve and I have done more than a few ops together for SHIELD. We talk about you often."

"Really?" Widow nodded.

"We agree that the thing that makes you such a pain in the ass to get along with is why we both love you: you're not like the rest of us. I can work in shades of grey, I can keep secrets and commit as much subterfuge as the mission requires. But you were too honest a man to keep working for SHIELD after you reformed, so you joined the Avengers, where you went maverick on Steve _constantly_."

"So…what you're saying is…I should go get Cap myself." Widow wordlessly smacked the back of his head. "Ow!"

"I think what Natasha's trying to say…" Falcon began calmly. "…is that you're not the common hero. You're not even the common anti-hero. You're Clint Barton. So, you should go up and say what only Clint Barton can say." Hawkeye squinted at Falcon for a second with confusion, then nodded with genuine understanding.

"Thanks, guys." Hawkeye strode with purpose through the door to get to the table the other Avengers were sitting around. Falcon and Widow shared an uncertain look before following to join their teammates. Manifold and Captain Marvel were still in-costume, as were Spider-Man and Spider-Woman, while the others were still casually dressed. Hawkeye cleared his throat once he was in Cap's regular speaking position at the head of the table. "Right, so, you all know the deal by now. Cap's been taken by Red Skull, Abomination, the Shocker, and some Russian guy in a rip-off Iron Man suit."

"Titanium Man?" Sam asked, his Kentuckian twang shaking slightly with nerves.

"No, this guy's red. Anyway, since Stark couldn't give us any leads-"

"Iron Man is here!?" Sam asked again with more excitement. Bobby elbowed him to shut him up after Hawkeye glared at him for a second.

"We figure Skull isn't gonna keep Cap's death quiet, so once he steps out of the house again, we'll be on him like a dog on a steak. We're the only ones who can do this. And frankly…I don't think we can." The Avengers all traded looks of bewilderment. Widow kept her eyes on her friend, though. She knew he was going somewhere with this. Falcon silently hoped for the same. "Let me tell you what people are gonna think when they look at us." Hawkeye pointed to the Avengers in turn from left to right, starting with Manifold. "Manifold? Who the hell is Manifold?" Manifold looked around awkwardly. "Cannonball and Sunspot? What, were there no spots left for juniors in the X-Men?" Bobby clenched a fist beside Sam, who breathed in calmly. "And why do they just have some guy with no weapons or powers in there?" Shang-Chi had to stop himself from smiling at Hawkeye's ignorance. "The HULK!? They must be desperate to wrangle that monster in!" Bruce crossed his arms but kept cool. "Isn't that Spider-Man supposed to be some public menace, too?"

"Fake news!" Spider-Man verbally defended himself. Hawkeye carried on.

"Wolverine? He's…" He saw the look Logan was giving him and fear suddenly sat on his vocal chords. He swallowed it as he moved on to his last mark. "…and Spider-Woman? You sure she's not still a Skrull?" Captain Marvel shot out of her chair beside Spider-Woman, who quickly grabbed her wrist to gently pull her back down to her seat. Despite the slow-boiling pot of discontent he was stirring, Hawkeye wasn't daunted as he scanned everyone's offended expressions. "That's what I think, too. Which is why I'm the worst of all of us." Hawkeye had to suppress his grin at subverting everyone's expectations. "I've been holding onto this idea that the old Avengers were the paragon of teamwork and heroism. But we were never perfect, and ever since most of us left, I've been tricking myself into thinking we were, just so I could feel better about so many of my friends moving on from it all. Today you get to prove what an idiot I am. Show me that you guys are worth lying to myself for some day in the future, when you've all moved on, too. Show Skull and his thugs that taking our leader was the biggest mistake of their lives. Show Earth that you deserve to be called its mightiest heroes." Hawkeye ran his eyes over the surprisingly invigorated looks on his teammates' faces, ending at Widow's half-smile and giving her a knowing wink.

The door opened at the other end of the room and the Avengers all turned to see Tony, who spoke with uncharacteristically concerned simplicity.

"Found Cap. Skull's showing him off in D.C." Hawkeye nodded as his team turned back to him.

"Avengers..." Spider-Man leant over to Spider-Woman during Hawkeye's pause.

"Bet he's secretly wanted to say this for years." He joked to Spider-Woman, making her grin.

"...assemble." Hawkeye finished.

* * *

 _Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed. If you're really liking this story so far, give it a favourite, and tell your fellow authors to check it out. Next chapter, the Avengers mobilise to take out the Red Skull and rescue Captain America! If you have anything to say or suggest, any plot holes to point out, details needing clarification, or general questions to ask, feel free to PM me or leave a review. Take care._


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